Martin Blank's Journal: My first shuttle launch in years....

Sometimes (last night notwithstanding), my new job utterly rules. I just watched the high-speed broadcast of the launch of the Columbia, my first live shuttle launch viewing since the launch before the loss of the Challenger. It was an amazing thing to watch, and I began to feel giddy as the countdown from ten seconds began, the igniters sent their sparks off, the main engines lit, and finally the boosters ignited, and with the release of the braces holding the shuttle in place, it rose into the heavens, lighting up the sky like a miniature sun. I watched it until SRB separation at about plus-two-minutes, and then until it was a tiny dot in the sky. I continued to watch the feed from Houston until Columbia reached orbit, at which point I closed the connection.

I feel better.